Forming and punching articles of irregular form



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEVI DODGE, OE WATER-FORD, NEW' YORK.

FORMING ANDIPUNCHING ARTICLES OF IRREGULAR FORM.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 31,660, dated March 12,1861; Reissued October i To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEVI DODGE, of Vaterford, in the county of Saratogaand State of New York, have invented an Improvement in the Manufactureof Axes, I-Iatchets, and Analogous Articles of Iron of Irregular Forms,and that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of theprinciple or character which distinguishes it from all other thingsbefore known and of the usual manner of making, modifying, and using`the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which-Figure l, is an elevation of the matrices or dies closed; Fig. 2, alongitudinal section showing the dies closed and open; Fig. 3, a crosssection through the middle of the machine between the dies. Fig. li, isa cross section through the dies and aX head, and Fig. 5, a bar of ironwith an aX head formed previous to its being cut off. Fig. 6 is adetached view showing' the devices for opening the dies.

My invention relates to the punching of articles of irregular forms whensuch articles are within the dies or matrices as hereinafter described.For illustration ofthe practical working of the invention I will hererepresent the matrices or dies for forming ax or hatchet heads and thepunch adapted to punching the eyes within the matrices.

It has been hitherto deemed impracticable to punch the eyes of axeswithin the forming dies and the result of punching them when not connedhas been a spreading and splitting of the metal and drawing the irondown as the-punches enter the bar. By my invention the punching iseffected while the article is confined within the matrices and duringthe process of formation or it may be punched in the same or similarmatrices subsequent to the formation, the operation in the latter casenot being so expeditious, but inasmuch as the dies or matrices are formaking articles of irregular or swelled or bulging form by simultaneousoperation on all or several sides, the matrices are distinct from thosefor making regular forms where such can be thrust into and punched in asolid die box, and thence removed without diiiiculty. The ax pollfurnishes a good illustration. A properly formed ax poll has swelled orconvex sides and prior to my inventions as secured by Letters Patentgranted to me on the first day of September, 1857, and Letters Patentgranted to me on the nineteenth day of July, 1859, it was deemed to beimpracticable to make ax polls of such appropriate form by swaging dies.It is obvious that an poll with straight sides if such form were usefulcould be thrust into a solid die box and there punched but the swelledform is indispensable to a good ax poll and hence if the punching of theeye is to be performed subsequent to the formation of such an ax poll bymatrices, it must be done in the same or similar or correspondingmatrices.

a a are the forming matrices pivoted to the head block b, at c, c, andbetween these matrices is fixed a bed piece (l which is embraced by therecessed ends of the matrices as they close upon the bar ofmetal used toform the ax poll. so as to slide up and down upon the upright guides g,g. The lower ends of the matrices c, a, move over inclined planes L, /Lon the pillow blocks, which cause the matrices to close upon the metalas the head block descends.

m is a punch fixed to the base block n., for punching out the eye of theax poll while it is continedin the matrices, the punching being donewhile the closed matrices descend between the parallel sides of thepillow blocks.

The arms s, s attached to the matrices are furnished with projections orcam pieces z', which acting. against the ridges u, u, on the pillowblocks draw the matrices apart as the head block rises.

The above illustrates the punching of swelled aX polls while in theirmatrices but the same principles of construction and operation will holdfor other articles of irregular forms which require to be punched.

That- I claim as my improvement in the manufacture of axes of a swelledform is- 1. Punching the eyes of the same when inclosed in conformingdies made to open and close upon such swelled forms substantially in themanner herein set forth.

2. Combining the punch with said dies in the manner set forth.

LEVI DODGE. itnesses DAVID BLAKE,

GEORGE DUCHARME.

The cross head is madeV

